The weblog of Norman Geras

July 21, 2007

The Momma 'n' Daddy Collection 83

Here's a Momma 'n' Daddy song which starts from a situation Jane Austen would have understood. It's Jimmie Gilmore singing 'Saginaw Michigan'. He's singing as the son of his daddy, naturally, 'a poor, hard-working Saginaw fisherman'. But the thing is, the structure of the situation is given not only by his daddy, but also by hers - the daddy, that is, of the girl our singer-protagonist loves, 'a wealthy, wealthy man'. You can see how much wealth he must have from that repetition. And for him the said singer-protagonist is 'not good enough to claim his daughter's hand'. See what I mean about Jane Austen? Anyway, the story that unfolds is as follows, and delivers a nice surprise:

I was born in Saginaw, Michigan
I grew up in a house on Saginaw Bay
My daddy was a poor, hard-working Saginaw fisherman
Too many times he came home with too little pay

I loved a girl in Saginaw, Michigan
The daughter of a wealthy, wealthy man
But he called me that son of a Saginaw fisherman
Not good enough to claim his daughter's hand

Now I'm up here in Alaska, looking around for gold
Like a crazy fool I'm digging in the frozen ground so cold
But with each new day I pray I'll strike it rich and then
I'll go back home and claim my love in Saginaw, Michigan

I wrote my love in Saginaw, Michigan
I said, 'Honey I'm coming home, please wait for me
And you can tell your dad I'm coming home a richer man
I made the biggest strike in Klondike history.'

Her dad met me in Saginaw, Michigan
He gave me a great big party with champagne
Then he said, 'Son, you're a wise young ambitious man
Will you sell your father-in-law your Klondike claim?'

Now he's up there in Alaska diggin' in the cold, cold ground
The greedy fool is looking for the gold I never found
It serves him right and no one here is missin' him
Least of all the newlyweds of Saginaw, Michigan